Lice/Mite problem....

[TimG]

After dusting, what happens to the lice/mites? Do they die or fall off the chicken/move out of the coop and reside elsewhere?

I'm curious because I have one under the weather chicken that has lice/mites that I have isolated. I plan to dust her this morning and wonder if I can bring her inside to do it (it's a bit chilly this morning). I don't want to do that if the mites/lice will hop off the chicken and into the house.

I checked just one other chicken yesterday. She was healthy and I could not find any bugs on her. Is it strange that one chicken is infested and another in the same flock has none? One takes better care of herself (dusts bathes more often)?

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
The dust should kill them, but i would expect them to try to run away initially also. I wouldn't do it in the house if i were you.

And if you found bugs on one, i would dust all of the chickens who are in the same coop. Here's why i say that: i found lice one about half of my chickens one day, and some of them appeared to be very heavily infested. The next day, when i inspected the same chickens, i could not find anything. I dusted everyone anyway. I don't know much about poultry lice, but i don't believe they all just decided to move out the next day. They're tricky, and just because you don't see them doesn't mean they're not there.

 

[TimG]

Thanks, I do intend to dust all the chickens and the coop. I am still curious about why the big difference -- one chicken is infested and another appears clean (though I'm sure there are some on her somewhere). The difference is night and day.

 

[TimG]

I dusted today and the sick chicken is doing much better: eating, drinking and pooping! There were literally 100s of bugs on her. I think she might require a bath and another dusting before she can go back with the rest of the flock. I know she will not like the bath...

I was not able to catch all the other chickens today, but none of those that I did had any mites/lice that I could find. I'm not saying there weren't any. I'm still curious why only one was infested.

 

[racefanz]

I had only 1 chicken sick as well. I checked her for bugs and didn't find any. I dusted all the other chickens as well as the coop, bedding areas, nesting areas and anywhere else they hang out. I'm not sure where they go when they die, I would assume that they would run as far as they can first, hopefully off the bird. You will always have bugs somewhere, hopefully they won't be the kind that hurt your birds. My sick girl, seems to be doing better, although her comb still looks pale and limp. Not sure what that is about. Good luck with your infestation!

 

[TimG]

I gave my sick chicken a bath and blow dry today. She made very little objection to the ordeal, so she must still be feeling under the weather. But, after I put her in a cage with some dry shavings she started taking care of her feathers.

I think all the bugs I saw today were dead and I didn't notice any during the blow dry, so I think I've done a good job getting rid of the infestation.

She's a bit wobbly. When she walks she often steps on her own foot and generally appears unstable. But, she does appear to be improving.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Yes, one bird is often the target. Think about mosquitos and people--some people are more prone to getting bitten, even when in the same room as others.

If that one bird is treated, but not any others, a new target may well be found. That is one reason you treat all the birds, not just those on whom you find the pests.

If the birds have mites or lice, they may well have worms, too.

 

[freebirder]

If your raising your chickens to avoid all the toxic and nasty chemicals, hormones and pollutants like I am, why would you go use the same pesticides the commercial people use.

85% of all cancers are generated by some chemical stimulant interaction.

Suggest you avoid at all cost Permethrin, Sevin any any other CHEMICALS.

Try a mixture of DE and "PY" or natrual Pyretherin. BIG difference.

Is natural pyrethrum a pyrethroid?

No. Pyrethrum is a relatively low toxicity natural insecticide and, since it breaks down quickly, generally has low environmental impact as well. For these reasons it enjoys a reputation of being "safe".

Pyrethroid insecticides, like (Permethrin) on the other hand, are generally more toxic and more environmentally persistent -- i.e. not as "safe". Unfortunately, some marketers continue to claim that pyrethroid insecticides, like permethrin, are "made from chrysanthmum flowers" implying that they are "natural and safe". These claims are false, and if done intentionally unethical.
-------------------------------------------------
Pyrethrum, or "insect powder", insecticide

Pyrethrum ("pie-wreath-rum") is a natural insecticide made from the flowers of certain species of the chrysanthemum plant. It is a mixture of several different compounds called pyrethrins and cinerins. Originally pyrethrum was made by grinding dried chrysanthemum flowers into a powder. Today, pyrethrum is extracted with solvents but is still widely used in household insect sprays where it is usually combined with another chemical called piperonyl butoxide (PBO).

About 200 years ago people in central Asia discovered that dried, crushed flowers of certain chrysanthemums were toxic to insects. During the Napoleonic Wars (1804-1815) this "insect powder" was used to control flea and body lice infestations by French soldiers. Since then, pyrethrum has been used in many forms for effective, low toxicity insect control. However, because natural pyrethrum is not stable in sunlight it is seldom used in commercial agriculture.

The Non-Toxic Technology
Diatect products are made from a combination of Pyrethrum and Diatomaceous Earth (DE), both officially labeled as less toxic than table salt. Pyrethrum, a lethal nerve irritant to insects refined from the African Daisy, paralyzes insects on contact. Once exposed to the natural environment, however, Pyretrhum decomposes into harmless by-products that do not accumulate in food, water, or soil.

DE, also known as Silicon Dioxide, is a nonpoisonous mineral derived from the dry beds of ancient freshwater lakes. It consists of sharp-edged microscopic blades and spikes that cut insects' skin and shells, damaging their watertight seal and thus dehydrating the animal. DE is EPA-labeled as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) in food production, water and the environment, but the powder is lethal to insects. After Pyrethrum decomposes, DE persists, controlling possible future infestations.
http://www.livingwithbugs.com/permethrin_pyrethrum.html


Try this safe quick and effective combination of DE and PY I've been using for years for many purposes. Indoor and out. Home, Garden & my birds.
http://www.diatect.com

Their commercial product is called Diatect II.
It is exactly the same product as RESULT with a commercial label which states.
For use in:
ANIMAL QUARTERS
Including but not limited to Barns, Dairies, Milkrooms, Pet Kennels, Poultry Houses, Runs and Stables: For control of Gnats, Fleas, Flies, Lice, Mites, Darkling Beetles, Mosquitoes, and Ticks. Use Rate: Use at the rate of 2 oz. per 100 sq. ft. of surface area. Apply with a hand or power duster or sprayer or other suitable means to the hiding places where the pests are found. Repeat treatment as necessary to
maintain control.
or
DiatectV OMRI listed
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/diatect-v-insect-control.html
Diatect International Corporation ...announced today that the company has received a listing from OMRI, the Organic Materials Review Institute, for the use of its organic pesticide product Diatect(TM) V in organic food production.

I just give my coop an occasional dusting and I have had NO issues.
Skeeters, flies, mites, fire ants etc... A little goes a long way.
I have HAPPY BIRDS and I feel a who lot better about the eggs my family and I enjoy.

Otherwise WHY do this chicken thing at home?
Might just as well go buy the commercial chemical calcium encapsulated time bombs.

 

[freebirder]

PROBLMS WITH SEVIN
Sevin is Carbaryl

http://www.safe2use.com/poisons-pesticides/pesticides/misc/sevin-carbaryl-old.htm
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Product.jsp?DIST_NR=002935&REG_NR=00293500320

SEVIN (Carbaryl): A CONTROVERSIAL INSECTICIDE
by
Winand K. Hock
Extension Pesticide Specialist
Penn State University

If you can believe the headlines which appeared in newspapers from the Delaware Valley and New Jersey last spring, the manufacturers of carbaryl (Sevin) must have developed and released to the public a 'chemical black death' which will make Love Canal, DDT, PCB's, and Kepone in the Chesapeake Bay seem rather insignificant.

One Canadian environmental organization in a letter addressed to local citizens cites some of the 'documented' effects of carbaryl.
1. It causes birth defects in mammals, especially dogs.
2. It worsens the condition of people with hypertension and people on anti-depressant drugs.
3. It impairs the function of the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, and the reproductive system.
4. It causes hyperactivity and learning disabilities in mammals.
5. It could increase the chance of heart attack in people with weak hearts.
6.The main break-down product, nitrosocarbaryl, which is easily created in the human gut, is a potent cancer-causing agent.
7.It causes irreversible chromosomal damage to human DNA (the genes in our cells).
These are indeed very serious accusations against a pesticide that presumably has had a good safety record for over 20 years...... go to web site for the rest of this story.

http://www.safe2use.com/poisons-pesticides/pesticides/misc/sevin-carbaryl-old.htm

carbaryl (Sevin ) carbamate 0.600 of a lb on your skin can kill a 150 lb person
0.128# orally can kill a 150 lb person based on an (LD50 scale) 50% die at this level in laboratory rats
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DO NOT Get this stuff on you. If it gets in your eyes it goes directly to your brain, Optical poising is rarely discussed and has a very small level required to have serious ill effects.

 

[tothemoon]

Ok, freebirder, I went to the site (http://www.diatect.com) and it didnt say anywhere that it killed lice and mites. Did I just miss something?

I have been reading all the posts on this thread because I have a bantam cochin that has some bald spots on each side of his head, with a lil blood on the skin. I checked all my chickens and didnt see even the slightest hint of a mite or lice on any of them. I cleaned thier pens and dusted with DE. I dont exactly know that the raw skin on his head is from mites but I cant see it being anything else, due to the rain they have been in thier pens for days, no freeranging, no contact with other roosters that might be picking on him. He is in his pen with his 2 girlies, who look just fine. I havent seen them scratching or acting itchy lately either. These raw spots occured within the past 2 days, before that he was fine (except for his missing tail feathers from a previous dog attack).

On that note, I saw something else that made me say "huh?". I am incubating some eggs from another pen (not the one with the raw spots) and about 2 days ago I saw what looked like a mite or lice crawling on one of the eggs. Now I havent put new eggs in there since 11-4 and I had cleaned the eggs off with water as well. Could there have been a lice egg still hiding somewhere that I missed, and would it have hatched out or something in the incubator? Im totally confused on this one.

So my questions are, could the raw spots be something else besides an infestation, and what could that have possibly been on the incubating egg?